Miami-based company expected to bring 200 jobs to Bay County

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The recent West Rock Paper Mill closure in Panama City is leaving many in need of a job.

However, a real-estate company called Resia is building a manufacturing operation in Bay County.

“When you are successful in establishing manufacturing projects like this, for every one job that this company creates, there’s typically a spin-off of four indirect jobs that will be in our community,” said Bay Economic Development Alliance President Becca Hardin.

Resia will work on 200,000 square feet of land near Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.

The site will be used to build bathrooms, kitchens, and utility closets to install in the company’s various properties. This in turn will create around 200 jobs for Bay County residents.

“A company has to pay 115% of the Bay County average wage which would amount to $50-53,000 a year,” Hardin said.

Resia President and CEO Ernesto Lopes said Bay County is more appealing than all of the other locations he considered for his new project.

“It’s very centered to places where we have operations,” Lopes said. “We currently have operations in three states. We’re in Georgia, in Texas, and in Florida, so this is very centralized to the market where we have operations.”

Lopes also said the community welcomed him with open arms.

“Typically we’re out beating around the bushes for companies to come here, and they actually came to us, so it’s great we were able to work out a deal with them,” Hardin said.

Lopes said his company is in the design phases of the project.

He’s currently working with architects, engineers, consultants, and equipment manufacturers.

The exact date as to when everything will be completed is still in the works.

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